The Exposure Fallacy – are you really supporting the arts?

So, you want to support the arts by offering opportunities for artist “exposure”? Before you pat yourself on the back for being a patron of creative souls everywhere, there may be a few questions you need to ask yourself first to make sure you are actually supporting the arts and not exploiting them. If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then you might want to reconsider asking artists to work for cheap or free, and instead value what it is that they’re doing with a proper price tag. 

1. Does whatever work the artist is going to do with you help to reinforce your branding or attract customers to your business?
   

If incorporating the services of an arts professional is going to play a part in attracting your ideal customers and creating the brand image you are hoping for then these artists need to paid accordingly. And remember, the more you pay, the better quality you’re going to get!

Case Study – You’re an up and coming cafe in a funky suburb. You want to attract a creative, energetic clientele. You want to create an atmosphere that is bohemian, free thinking and fun for the people who come. So you decide the way to do that is to host live original music which you figure will be great exposure for the band. Maybe you feed them, but other than that you pay a very small fee or the offering is simply a platform to share their art. If this is you, perhaps have a look at your bottom line. How does incorporating music into your business model help to reinforce your branding, increase your opportunities for exposure or attract ideal customers?

2. Do you need creative work done in order to properly promote your own product?

From websites and graphic design to copywriting, photography and videography all businesses need the input of creative professionals to promote their products and services to the highest level and make that very real emotional connection with the customers.

Case Study – you offer a photographer the opportunity of exposure by paying them a small amount to take your promotional photos. Are you then going to offer them a watermark on those photos? A tag in all your socials? Are you going to credit them throughout all of your other promotional activities? Are the people who will see these photos the photographer’s ideal customer? If the answer is no to any of these kinds of questions and you just want some good photos, then you’re going to need to pay for those.

3. Do you want to improve the aesthetics of your business space?

Interior design and effective placemaking has been proven to boost moral, increase productivity and attract aligned clientele. A business that ties it’s branding into their front of house and behind the scenes set up gains credibility, kudos and consistency. Think Google offices!

Case Study – You want your workspace to be more enjoyable for staff and customers and feel that the right way to go about that is to exhibit some local artists’ work on your office wall. Ask yourself, what is the wear and tear to that artists’ work? What is the likelihood that the artist is going to sell that artwork or it’s going to lead to commissions or more sales? Are you actively promoting that artist in order to help them sell more work? If the answer is no, then just buy the piece of artwork outright and use it to adorn your walls and make your space a better one for your staff and customers.

The moral of the story is – in case you missed it ;0) – if involving the arts in your business model is going to help improve your bottom line in any way – and that means stronger brand reinforcement, creating a certain atmosphere, getting more people in the door – then you need to value the work of those artists. Artists are business people too, trying to carve out a living just like you are so please, please, please, pay artists what they’re worth.